In This World or the One Below
by EdwadKenwii
Summary: Edward Kenway tails the infamous El Peligro to plunder the ship and take the riches for himself but when the ship travels off course, he finds himself aboard a ship sailing towards the Bermuda Triangle. When he wakes, he is not in the North Atlantic any more but rather, modern day America. (Edward/OC)
1. Chapter 1

North Atlantic Ocean, 5th of June 1717

"There she is," Edward passed the spyglass to Adéwalé. "We'll board her and take what she has. We just have to be careful, tail her without drawing suspicion."

Adé had a pensive look upon his face, "Aye, Captain but there's a storm coming. We won't be able to weather both cannon fire and rouge waves. What do you intend to do?"

Chuckling, Edward patted his quartermaster on the back and spoke with pride, "You stay with the Jackdaw. We'll get close enough for me to board her alone."

"Alone?" Adé had an incredulous look upon his face, "Take some of the men with you, at least."

"No. I'll do this alone, Adé. We'll get close enough and drop anchor, I'll get there from where we are. Should the storm get heavy, get the Jackdaw to Havana. I'll meet you there with our riches in tow." Edward grinned at the man.

Taking the wheel, Edward motioned his crew starting sailing, yelling for full-sails. The rumours of this ship they were tailing, El Peligro, often surrounded vast amounts of reales and treasure that could fetch quite a price in any market. Edward grinned at the thought of it, he would be rich enough to go anywhere he please and live a life of utter pleasure. He was only moments away from it, from wealth and glory and all that remained to be done was his taking of the ship.

The Jackdaw tailed El Peligro from a distance before the larger man o' war came to a stop. They were moving something perhaps or maybe there was trouble aboard. Edward clenched his jaw, they had come too far to be spotted. They dropped anchor and Edward left the wheel. To avoid detection he would have to keep the Jackdaw at a distance and swim to where the ship was.

"Be ready for when I return."

With that, he dived into the sea, swiftly getting closer to the ship before it moved. Edward grabbed a section of the ship that was protruding, hoisting himself up as he scaled up the massive structure. Taking a look over the wooden railing he saw that it was somewhat empty with only a few men walking the vicinity. The bastards must have been below deck, guarding the one thing that made them renowned amongst every man. Edward climbed aboard, pulling his hood up as he leant against a large post. From where he was there were around twelve men - one captaining the ship and the others wandering. He whistled, drawing the attention of one of the men. The Spanish soldier walked over, sword in hand and a quizzical expression upon his face. He was not expecting a hand over his mouth and a blade running across his throat. Edward pulled the body down, keeping it behind the post he stood behind. The storm that was in the distance before had reached their current position. It had started to rain, making the blood of the soldier run along the wood.

Two of the patrolling men appeared in deep conversation as they looked out to the seas. One of the men grunted, "Hemos navegado demasiado de su curso." ("We sailed too far off course.")

"El capitán es un tonto. Estamos cerca de el Triángulo del Diablo, no vamos a sobrevivir a esto." ("The Captain is a fool. We are near the Devil's Triangle, we will not live through this.")

Without a sound, Edward manoeuvred quietly behind the men drawing his hidden blades. As one was about to speak, he raised his hands, the blades meeting the heads of the two soldiers for a brief moment. Edward yanked them out before the bodies dropped, the entrance to the lower deck must have been near. Edward smirked as he saw the entrance, not a single man guarded it. It was best he eliminate all those below deck before he took the ship, check for himself that this treasure all there.

As Edward lifted the hatch and quietly walking down the stairs, he was greeted by silence. There was no snoring, no drunken muttering, no men speaking. He stood behind some cargo, taking a peek from the side to see if there was any vigilant men stationed guarding what seemed to be a storage area. There was not a trace of life present. Edward moved out of the shadows, walking at an even pace to where he assumed the treasure was. He smirked, there was many a chest in this storage area. He kicked the top of the chest and to his surprise, it opened.

"Ha!" He exclaimed, kneeling to see what the chest held.

Edward's eyes widen in disdain, there was nothing in this chest but cloth. He rose, moving to another and opening it with ease. Again, there was nothing there. Scrambling, he moved the the next few chests - opening each of them and finding not gold and treasure but cloth and dirt. He backed away from the storage area, this must have been a decoy or perhaps the damned rumours were false! Edward cursed under his breath as the ship was jolted by some force. Ah, the ship was in the eye of the damned storm! Edward moved towards the stairs, struggling as the ship was pushed back and forth by the force of the storm.

He reached the deck, the few soldiers that were there were scrambling and screaming. It was then when Edward realised what was happening, they were in the middle of the storm - lightning striking the water and thunder rumbling. A cyclone was fortunately far enough for the ship to destroy it. The water, he had never seen anything like it, it was twisting at the centre pulling the ship into it's terrifying grasp. Edward spotted the Captain and managed to make his way towards him, the men aboard paying him no attention as they ran on the deck in fear and attempt to save themselves. He tackled the Captain, not caring that the man was responsible for where the ship was to go.

"Where's the riches!? The treasure!" He held the man by his coat and spoke through gritted teeth.

"No aquí." ("Not here") There was fear in his eyes, "G-Gone."

Edward released him with brute force, letting the mans head hit the deck as he took the wheel. He grunted as he tried to steer the ship out of whatever it current was in. This was no normal storm, this was not like any he had been in.

"Mátame señor matarme!" ("Kill me sir, kill me!"), The Captain yelled from behind, still cowering on the wet wood.

It was hopeless. Steering the ship was getting him nowhere. Edward left it, aggressively fighting against the wind as he leaned over the edge. Jumping was the only option, the ship would sink and these men would die but he had the chance to live if he swam. Edward took one look back before diving off the ship. He was underwater for a moment, surrounded by the emptiness of the sea. He lunged upwards, trying to get his head above the water so he could breathe.

Taking a deep breath as he reached the surface, Edward started to swim - his arms moving with such strength and force that he thought he could escape the abyss in which the ship was heading into. Alas, the current and blinding storm obscured everything around him. A rough wave hit him and he felt a pain in his head like never before. He struggled to keep his eyes open but before he knew it, he was out and spiralling into the hungry ocean.


	2. Chapter 2

**New York, 5th of June 2013**

When Edward woke, he was in an unfamiliar place. His head was pounding and his mind running. Where was he? He stood up slowly, leaning against the stone wall for support. A dark alleyway... was he drunk, was everything that happened a drunken illusion? There was a light in the distance, he hoped that he wasn't dead but no, it wasn't white, it was multi-coloured. Edward looked around one more time, his head still paining. He hadn't looked down, his attire was completely drenched. It didn't matter though, what Edward needed was to find out where he was and get back to the Jackdaw.

Pulling up his hood, Edward followed the coloured lights. The streets were darkened and different. This wasn't Havana or Nassau. Perhaps he had been brought upon the shore in Kingston? He kept following the lights until the colours had become so intense that he had to stop in his tracks. What was this place?

Large structures that reached the clouds outlined the area, there were pictures - moving pictures! All of them were large and contrasting. Edward wanted to shut his eyes but only managed to grit his teeth, the noise was intense. The sound of a storm combined with the sounds of... whatever those moving land-ships were and the passers-by were so loud and intense. He did not recognize the accents of the people. They all dressed strangely, some even wore hoods like his own - perhaps the Assassin's had found him and brought him here, to this hub of sorts. Were they all so advanced, though? What were these things around him?

Still frozen in the place where he stood, he was pushed back by another. He muttered an apology, not fully grasping the situation. Edward ran up closer to the lights, evading the people around him. His head continued to throb as he ran, there was no choice but to stop. Breathing heavily, the young pirate paced slowly in a circle - '_American Eagle'_, _'Coca Cola'_, _'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag_', _'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug_'? The names, the colours were everywhere and Edward had the slightest clue of what any of them were.

Edward needed help, he needed to find Thatch, Vane, Kidd or even Rackham. He wanted to yell for them but his throat was dry. It didn't seem like it would get him anywhere in this new place he was in, anyway. Edward always thought himself an intelligent man, one who could keep his wits about him but as of this moment, any common sense he had was gone. What the bloody hell was that moving picture and what on earth were all these lights? He had never seen anything like this, was he even in the same world? Edward scoffed at himself, placing his hands on his hips, of course it was the same world. It was just... different.

Standing in one spot would do him no good, he thought as he began move forward and wade through the crowd. Edward asked one of the people walking past him a question, "Pardon, where-"

The person, the bastard, walked right past him and gave him a look. He continued to start speaking but people kept walking by him and eyeing him strangely. He grunted, pushing himself through the crowd roughly trying to find where the end of it was. He stopped again and brought his hand to his head, he must have injured himself badly but it seemed that one wished to help him. He spotted a place in the distance, a tavern of sorts, there was a green mermaid as a sign. Edward starting to quicken his pace, trying to reach this tavern and ask the barman for aid.

When he did get to the place, he noted the taverns name - 'Starbucks'. _Strange_, he thought, _why not call it 'The Siren' or 'Mermaid's Cove' and what did a mermaid have to do with a star_? He put his hand out and it met a cold surface, there appeared to be a glass surface blocking his entrance to the tavern. He brought his face closer to the window, there were strange patrons in this place. Some men donned the beards of pirates and wore such tight-clothes and some women had such strange coloured hairs. Edward scrunched up his nose and laughed, what strange people. He tapped the glass in hope that the odd lot of patrons would notice him, buy him a drink and help him.

* * *

From where she sat in the cafe, Katherine spotted a strange hooded man poking at the glass. She could not tell if the look on his face was one of merriment or confusion, perhaps it was both. His attire, though obscure and odd, was familiar to her. He must have been one of those people that wonder Time Square dressed up as the character of their choice and take photos with people. Although, Katherine wondered why he was still at it in the middle of a storm. She put down her coffee and stared at him, her nose scrunched up as she watched him in awe. She still could not tell if he was happy and laughing or in pain and confused. The one thing she did know was that he was in fact acting incredibly strange.

Katherine felt a pang of sadness, he was probably homeless or living in dire conditions. It would explain why he was dressed like that in the storm, to find a source of income. A part of her wanted to help him, he looked like he needed help but Katherine was scared. He could be anybody, anything and she would be walking up to him without protection. _No_, she thought, _it's not right - I need to see what this is and I need to give him the benefit of the doubt_. If he was just a slightly insane man who needed to be set in the right direction, Katherine could easily be the one to do that. She boldly rose from her seat, taking her bag and umbrella with her. Pushing the door open as she did the same for her umbrella, Katherine took a few steps outside. She sighed, I hope I don't regret this.

"Sir, are you alright? Can I help you?" She questioned the man, eyeing him as if he was a lunatic.

"Aye, lass." He looked at her and smiled, Katherine lowered her hands and slowly approached him.

"Okay," She smiled softly, "Do you... have a name?"

"Edward. Edward Kenway." He spoke proudly but Katherine shook her head and took a few steps back.

She could not see his face well enough to tell whether he was lying or not. He must have been dedicated, committing himself so completely to his temporary guise. Katherine did not know whether or not she should playing along or pursue his real identity, she had already gone out of comfort zone asking if he was alright and did not need to be assaulted in an alleyway because she pried too much.

She arched a brow, inwardly cringing at her actions, "_Right_... What about your real name?"

The man scoffed, pulling his hood back a bit to reveal his features. He wore a puzzled expression and Katherine knew that she did as well. It was striking really, his resemblance to the concept art and character of Edward Kenway. He was just as devilishly handsome as the pirate she had played as and if she wasn't convinced that something was wrong with him, she may have been remotely attracted by the man. He even had the scar, though it was probably done with some sort of water-proof make-up.

His answer came out in a gruff tone and narrowed his eyes, "That _is_ my real name, lass, and yours?"

"I-uh, I'm Katherine Va- Uh, Katherine. Just Katherine."

"A pleasure to meet you, Katherine, though I wish it was under better circumstances. I'm afraid I seek aid."

"Aid? Are-are you hurt?" Katherine stumbled over her words, suddenly feeling as if she was speaking with a man who had been in a drunken brawl.

"Aye, I believe I hurt my head when I jumped off the ship and have no real recollection of how I got here... where _ever_ this is. I need to go back to Havana, to the Jackdaw. Can you help me, lass?"

Katherine's eyes widened, the man truly believed himself to be a fictional video game character. She instantly regretted her actions, wanting to head back into the cafe in fear of becoming one of those strange murder victims in an episode of Law & Order. She had to admit though, there was glimmer of sincerity in his eyes, as if this was a truth that he completely and utterly believed in. _Well, he doesn't seem overly crazy and I don't want to turn him away only to hear that something terrible had happened to him on the news_, she said to herself. Katherine needed to be rational, he said his head was hurt when he jumped off a ship... that could mean that he hurt his head in a car accident, perhaps? Nevertheless, she could help him - take him to a doctor, get him fixed up and leave to never be seen again.

"Okay. Before we get you to Havana, how about we take you to a hospital - get your head checked out?"

He stared at her blankly, "_Hospital_?"

Katherine mirrored his look, "A hospital is a place where doctors are, they have records of you and try to help you. You have to pay them and you get out. Refresh your memory?"

"No but I'd rather this hospital doesn't keep records of me. Besides, I have no reales on me."

She nodded, being smaller in stature, Katherine was in no state to argue with the man. If he didn't want to go, there was nothing she could do. There was only one place she could think of going and that was her own home. She had a first-aid kit there and had taken a few classes that gave her some knowledge on how to fix people. For a journalist, she could be a decent enough medic. She struggled with the idea of it though, this man didn't want to be identified for some reason and he had clearly been in a fight - did she want him in her home? He would know where she lived, he could sneak in and take her things or worse. His mentioning of reales was just as strange. Katherine bit down on her lip, there was no right choice in the matter. Part of her wanted to leave him there, tell him that she couldn't do anything to help him but the other half wanted to help him, she had spotted him after all and he didn't seem a bad person.

_I'm going to regret this whole night_, she thought. "Do you live around here? If you have a first-aid kit at yours, I can patch you up and be on my way."

"I'm not too sure where 'around here' even is, lass. So, no, I don't."

Katherine huffed and wanted to cringe, she was digging a hole for herself - she had picked up a shovel the moment she left the cafe. "Why… Uh, why don't you come to my place then? I can fix you up and then take you to hotel after?"

This Edward fellow gave her a weary look as if she was the mad person. "_Hotel_? Is that like an inn?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Aye, a fine deal. I can do that. If it's not too much ask, I have another favour. Once we're done can you help me locate the Jackdaw?"

Katherine chuckled softly, though it subdued and she furrowed her brow as she noticed his serious expression. "Oh? You're serious? I... I don't think you'll be getting back to this boat of yours anytime soon. Even if it does exist, I'm hardly the person to help you find it. You need to contact the navy or something."

"It's a ship, not a _boat_." He snapped at her, "How dare you say such things of its existence. You know nothing. The Jackdaw is real, it's my ship and I'm not going to this navy to find it! You'll take me to Havana."

She took a few steps back, "I'm sorry sir, I don't think I can do this, actually. I'm sor-"

"Jaysus, woman." He snarled, pulling her close to him and revealing a hidden blade, "You're _going_ to take me to this place of yours and then you're _going_ to help me. I may be a pirate but I don't appreciate it when people go back on their word."

His eyes were mad, like a raging sea, she thought. Had she not been so paralysed in fear, Katherine may have screamed for help. She imagined that from the way the stood so closely to each other, people would brush it off as a lovers quarrel and not bother at all. The umbrella she held up concealed them slightly, he could kill her and no one would see it. Katherine, confused and scared as the man she tried to help, nodded vigorously in hope that her compliance would save her life.

"Y-yes. Right, I'm sorry, I'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

**New York, 5th of June 2013**

Katherine fumbled with her keys under Edward's gaze. He wasn't directly staring at her but rather at everything in the inside of her car. She, however, did not doubt that he could easily notice if she was trying to make a run for it or trying to call the police on her phone. His blades were visible, as if a constant threat - your life is on the line, Katherine, do as he says and you will be fine. If he truly believed himself to be a fictional character and had no knowledge of the world he was in, whether it be because of an injury or him being completely disillusioned, perhaps there was a way to get herself out of this predicament.

"What sort of device this?" Edward pressed the button for the stereo which triggered her iPod to continue playing in the car and take him by surprise. The man moved back in his seat, his eyes wide in shock as he quickly hit the button again to stop it. His voice was somewhat panicked, "What was _that_?"

She just stared at him, her mouth open. Her brain could formulate no thoughts other than to register that she was truly in disbelief of this man. It wasn't possible for someone to wake-up and just forget about modern technology. Even technophobes, however much they disliked it, knew of computers and television and iPods. Katherine closed her mouth and managed to start her car, she glanced to the side to see him waiting for an answer and then turned her gaze forward again.

"Is it a shanty machine?"

Katherine didn't bother to reply, instead she pressed down on the accelerator and saw from the corner of her eye that the man was gripping the seat. If she wasn't scared for her life, she would have laughed at him. It was like taking an animal for their first drive. He seemed to quickly get a grip of himself, staring out the window in awe of all the passing lights and people.

"What manner of machinery is this? Where... Where _exactly_ am I, lass?" He turned to face her, "Lass?

Katherine glared ahead. She did not intend for her voice to be so shaky, she wanted to be angry not scared, "My name is _not_ lass, its _Katherine_ and don't play nice with me now. You just threatened my life before! You can find your answers elsewhere."

Her eyes set on the road ahead of her, she pressed the button that lowered the windows to let some air in. She didn't want to notice his shock as he saw the window on his side move downwards and stop at a certain point. _Good_, she thought, _let him never find the answers he seeks_. Katherine's eyes widened in revelation and her lips twitched upwards. Having this mad-man in her car was a gateway, if he truly didn't know anything she could drive him to the police station and he wouldn't have the slightest clue. Just like that, she could be rid of him and go home and pretend that this ordeal never happened. It could be done easily, she could take him in and tell an officer what had happened. They would lock him up and take him far far away from where she was.

"Katherine… How did you lower the glass and how is it that you are navigating this land-ship so well in the midst of a storm?" His voice was softer and curious.

Scoffing at the term 'land-ship', Katherine rolled her eyes and replied rudely, "I'm magic."

"You're a witch, then?"

A wicked grin managed to make its way upon her lips, "Yes, yes I am. Don't try anything. I'll burn you with my mind."

Katherine muttered the word '_Incendio_' under her breath. He sneered, his brows were furrowed and he moved a little closer to the window. Edward kept his mouth for some time as she drove to the nearest station she knew of. Katherine thought him a child, a terrible child with hidden blades and a murderous gleam in his eyes. She forgot he was injured, she could tell the police that perhaps he had gotten into a bar fight or something. The truth he believed was not substantial, '_Oh yes, officer. He said he jumped off a ship and hit his head and woke up in Times Square. Real moving stuff, right?_' – It was silly to even thinking about. They were coming closer to the station, about fifteen minutes away if traffic was kind to her. There was a tight feeling her stomach, if her plan failed she did not want to think about what would happen to her.

* * *

Edward sat silently as the woman navigated her land-ship. It appeared that she didn't want to be around him as much as he didn't want to be around her. He didn't care though, all he need was her to help get him back to the Jackdaw and then he would be free of her. Turning his head just the slightest, he noted that she was decent looking – auburn hair and green eyes. Perhaps she could do more than help him locate the Jackdaw, she could warm his bed too. He smirked at the woman, though she did not notice him. Edward could easily manipulate her, make her believe that if she helped him there would be some reward at the end and that he was grateful.

He only really needed to use her to figure out where he was and how he could get back home. It was a task that most likely would not take long if the woman cooperated. Somehow he had a feeling that she wouldn't cooperate easily. His mind jumped from his current dilemma to the structures they passed. He really was somewhere else, he had never seen houses that were so… square with so many windows. Edward's jaw clenched as he noticed a line of land-ships waiting in a line, one behind the other. It was too strange, this place he was in. It seemed populous, like a colony of the British – where were the redcoats patrolling the area? Actually, he didn't care so much that they weren't in sight, it was better for him that they weren't wandering around. Pickpocketing would be easier.

The woman, Katherine, sighed and kept her eyes ahead. He could tell from her rigid posture that she feared him or the very least, feared her life. An unwilling woman would not help him let alone sleep with him, he thought. He threatened her because she was being mad, saying things and going back on them. It had to be done, she had to understand that he _needed _to return to the Jackdaw. Edward needed to find Adé in Havana, he needed to return to Nassau and his friends. Moreover, what he needed now was for this woman to be willing to help him so that all those other things could be fulfilled. If feigning gratitude and making himself seem like nothing more than a lost traveller would get him that, it could be done.

"Katherine, I'm sorry for threatening you earlier." Edward said, his face clear of any emotion.

She scoffed, "You're just saying that because you think I'll burn you."

"No," He said firmly, "I know you're not a witch and I really am sorry for that."

"No you're not." The woman muttered, shaking her head.

"Believe it or not, lass. I don't normally threaten women, I'm not like that."

A raucous laugh slipped out of her mouth, "Are you saying that you're a gentleman of sorts? Wow. Yeah, I don't believe that."

He stopped himself for a moment, he needed to make her believe him – he needed her to offer herself and her aid to him without question. He lowered his voice and shifted in his eat so that he was looking right at her, "Look, thank you for this, Katherine."

Her impassive face revealed nothing so Edward continued, "I know you're confused, I am too but you were the first person to offer me any aid. Without your help, I would be stuck with nothing. I've got nothing else, lass. At least, not here."

Edward noted a change in the woman's face and eyes. Guilt, there was guilt in her eyes and her face gave away the faintest feeling of remorse. Did she believe him? Was his plan working? Had he not been trying to fool this woman, he would have grinned. He needed to make her feel worse for him, he would have to use his injury as a device against her. He winced, bringing a hand to caress a sore spot on his head. Edward saw that she was frowning as the land-ship came to a halt.

"Lass?" Edward looked at her, "What's happening?"

She huffed, "Well, shit. Looks like I've been driving in the wrong direction… I'll take a look at your head when we get to mine."

He nodded and offered her a smile before turning his face to the window to conceal his smirk. Katherine's eyes were still on the road, Edward wanted to laugh at how easy she was to manipulate. A few honeyed words and a sad story changed the woman's tune with ease. He scoffed quietly, now she was wanting to fix him. All he had to do was keep up this façade and she would be wrapped around his finger and pooling all her resources towards getting him back to his ship. Perhaps now she would even answer his questions about where they were.

"Thank you, Katherine."

"Yeah, look – just don't screw around with me again. If I bring you to my house and you decided you want to play the fool, I'll call the cops."

He sighed, "I won't. Can you tell me where I am now?"

She laughed, it was different from the last one. "New York. Uh, in America, in case you forgot."

"And what's the date?"

She looked at the shanty machine, "June the 5th, 2013 – 9:34pm, to be exact. Have an appointment or something?"

Edward folded his arms across his chest, she said the year was 2013 not 1717. He tried to open his mouth to say something, to reply but in this current moment he was the one stunned. How did this happen? No, Edward did not want to believe it. She was lying, she was a liar. If it was 2013… all his friends, Caroline… they were long gone. Edward released a panicked breath that caught the attention of the woman.

"You alright?" She didn't look overly phased by him.

Edward spoke freely with her, "I-I, I was aboard a ship and jumped off it in 1717… You just told me it's 2013 now. I… what happened to me?"

His breath quickened, his hands began shaking. It was not like him to fear much but this change in time and worlds was not something easy to accept. If his breath was quickening before, he was feeling at loss for it in this current moment. It wasn't possible to live in one day and wake up in another. This was not real, it couldn't be. Katherine seemed to notice him, stopping the land-ship again before unclipping herself from it. She rummaged through the back of it quickly and came back to her original position, leaning over and holding a bottle of sorts to his face.

"Hey!" She tapped his shoulder cautiously, "Edward? Look, here. Drink this, it's water."

He took it without question, throwing the lid down on his lap and gulping down whatever he could. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, as if she was expecting him to pass out. His body relaxed just the slightest bit.

"Holy shit. Did you just have a panic attack?"

Edward looked at her like she was mad, "_Panic attack_? What in the hell is that?"

"Uh, you get worked up and confused about something, you're mind goes through like a period of intense fear."

He stared at her, "_Shite_."

"Yeah, shit! I'm taking you to the hospital!" He grabbed her hand to stop her before she went for the wheel.

"No, lass. Just take me to your place and we'll deal with it there. They won't have any records of me in this hospital." Edward looked at her intently.

She nodded, "Right.. Right. Crap, let's go to mine then."

* * *

Edward leant against a wall as Katherine opened the door to her petite townhouse, she noted that he was still shaken by the news of what year they were in. She thought that she would hate to see him on New Year's Eve if he was like this now. Perhaps that hit to the head knocked out his bearings and common sense, leaving him a man confused with the world he was in. As Katherine pushed open the door, she couldn't believe what she was doing. Just a mere hour ago she was planning on leading him into a police station and envisioning misfortune striking him but now she was leading him into her house like a damned lover. Guilt was a powerful weapon, she thought.

"Just go in and sit on the couch" She ordered him, pointing in the direction of the leather loveseat. She always hated that name, 'loveseat', it was so sweet that it was sickening. It was much to her surprise that the reluctant man silently obeyed.

She watched him from the door, his eyes growing larger as he took in his surroundings. Throwing her bag down and she went into the bathroom, her eyes not leaving the man until he was out of sight. The last thing she needed was a strange man going through her possessions or worse, stealing them. Katherine squatted and opened a white cupboard, sticking her hand in to grab a first aid kit. She rose and opened the cabinet to grab some aspirin as well. Taking the two things in hand, the woman left for the lounge area. She was not surprised when she walked on him bending over and touching things.

"Edward?" He stood up slowly, as if not caring if he was intruding on her life at all. "Do you want to sit? I can look at that head injury of yours."

He looked at her for a moment, "Aye."

Edward sat down and she went and stood by him, giving him warning before she endeavoured to touch him. "I don't know if it will hurt or not but I'm going to have to see. Don't stab me or anything."

Nodding silently, he sat straight as Katherine gently touched his head to feel for any lumps. He winced as she touched a small part of his lower head near his neck. She moved his hair out of the way and found some minor bruising. She took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of it, there was a reason she was a journalist and not a nurse, the slightest injury was a pain for her to see. When she looked down at Edward from where he stood, he started blankly ahead. She sighed, he truly did believe himself a character from the 1700s. Perchance it was a defensive mechanism, in order to supress a memory or something he may have created this whole new identity for himself to escape it. Whatever the problem was, he needed help beyond her own.

Katherine manoeuvred in such a way that she was now squatting in front of him. She smiled and hoped it comforted him enough that he wouldn't kill her. She spotted a cut on his forehead, not too large or too bloody but a cut, nonetheless.

"You have a small cut on your forehead that shouldn't be too hard to fix up but you do have some bruising on your upper neck, as you felt. I can give you an aspirin for it and maybe put some cream on it but I don't know what else I can do if it gets worse."

Edward nodded, still not fully taking in every word. She sighed and pulled out some antiseptic and a cotton bud from the first aid kit. Pouring the brown liquid onto the cotton bud, she changed her position as she brought herself closer to his face. This was the first time she really got a good look at him, he certainly looked the part of rugged pirate with his sharp features. His eyes, an ocean blue, were blank but still lovely, she thought. She bit down on her lip as the cotton bud met his skin, he flinched and met her gaze. Still looking at him intently, she dabbed it onto his cut again, this time he remained stoic. She placed the bud and bottle on the end table and moved back to the bruise on his neck, a gel that supposedly reduced the pain, in hand.

"So, you haven't got a place to stay?" She asked as she put some gel on his bruise, she saw his back straighten as the cold formula met his upper neck.

"No."

Katherine spoke softly, _I hope I don't wake up a ghost_, "Well, you can stay here for now."

He still didn't meet her gaze, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She rose and slowly walked towards the kitchen, standing on her toes to reach the spot where the glasses were in the cupboard. Taking it in her hand, she filled it up with water and returned to Edward, returning to her squatting position in front of him as she handed him the glass and a pill. "Take the pill down with the water."

"Aye." She watched as he took it down.

"Good. You can sleep on that couch tonight," she pointed to the larger one opposite him, "Tomorrow… we'll figure things, I'll take you to a hotel or something. I don't want you here any longer than you want to be here."

"Indeed, Katherine." There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes but the smirk on his lips confused whatever message he was trying to get across. "I won't bother you."

She narrowed her eyes, "You're sleeping on the couch. Understand?"

He nodded, grabbing her hand before she could get up and leave. "Lass," his eyes bore into her own, "I don't know how all _this_ happened but I need to get back to the Jackdaw. Will you help me?"

Katherine stared at him, contemplating whether or not she should say anything at all but her mind was not at work as she stared into those eyes. "I'll… see what I can do."


	4. Chapter 4

**New York, 6th of June 2013**

When Edward woke, the throbbing pain in his head had disappeared. This couch that Katherine had made him sleep on was surprisingly comfortable, he could easily lie there for days on end. If only his fair rescuer would join him with a tankard of rum, then he would most definitely stay in this state. He smirked to himself, stretching before rising from where he lay. His robes and possessions, including his weapons, were on the other couch and when he approached them, he found them untouched. The woman must have been asleep still and from what little light came into her house, it was still early. Some of the devices she had were flashing, strange numbers lighting up and then changing.

Edward, curious of what these things were, started to press a button turning on what he only then figured out was a portable shanty machine. He laughed when music filled the room. It only took him seconds before he was touching everything. He fiddled around with a button device and turned on the moving picture screen, nearly falling back as he realised what he had done. Another laugh escaped his lips, he still could not believe the pictures on the glass box were moving! Edward began to press more buttons and the volume on the picture screen started to rise. He sat back on the couch, pulling his blanket with him and watched the screen with his legs crossed and an amused look on his face. He was entirely focused on it and with the volume at its loudest point, he was content. The people on the picture screen were talking about animals that were going extinct. _Ah, hunting season_, he thought.

Enraptured by the screen, Edward did not notice the half-asleep woman stumbling down the corridor. Her interesting attire had caught his attention, making him turn his head and grin at the woman. Edward wondered if all women dressed as scantily as they slept in this era. As she came into sight, snatching the button device and turning off what had turned on, she crossed her arms across her chest firmly and glared at him.

"Good morning, lass."

"Piss off." She yawned, "What the hell are you doing? It's five in the freaking morning! People are asleep now!"

"You're the one raising your voice." He said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Katherine looked annoyed with him, "Because you raised the volume on the television and speakers! What is wrong with you? This isn't your house, you cannot do what you want here."

"Television and speakers, ah, so _that's_ what they're called." Edward smiled at the discovery.

"Stop evading the question, you little shit." Katherine stopped herself, "Sorry. I'm not a morning person. Look, don't do it again."

Edward didn't like the way she spoke to him, it was like he was a child or a fool. It was his turn to glare at her, though that was all he could do. She was the only person willing to help him the other night and he did not doubt she would be the only person willing to help him now. "I won't, sorry."

She sighed, "Whatever. Do you want to go shower? I'll make up some breakfast in the meantime. Bathroom is the first door on the right."

He was surprised when she walked off and left him to his own devices again but he followed instructions. The bathroom, first door on the right, was exquisite. He had never seen something like this, perhaps to another person it was plain but all of the things were new to him. It struck him that he had little idea of what he was doing. He eyed the glass door in front of him as he called out, "Lass!"

He heard her footsteps and her grumbling, she stuck her head in through the door. "What?"

"How do I work it? Where do I fetch the water from?"

Katherine scoffed, walking in and opening the glass door and extending one hand into the closed off space. She moved a handle to the side and water started to flow from another device, a head of sorts. He started to laugh, nodding in excitement. When the woman spoke to him she sounded annoyed, "Turn left for cold, right for warm - push the handle down when you're done. You have two minutes in the shower, three at most. All good?"

"Do the water thing again." He said pointing at the handle.

Sighing heavily, she turned the water on but it was different from before. The force of the water was intense, he stepped back and sneered. "The water pressure is too high, it'll causing unnecessary bruising. I don't want to die."

The woman looked at him with wide eyes and huffed, "You're... You're scared of showers... _Wow_, you would so be dead if I didn't help you last night."

Edward snarled at the woman, "I'm _not_ scared of it. I don't know what the damn thing is. I'm cautious, you could be trying to kill me."

A very loud cackle was her response, "Adjust the flow and just take off your clothes and have a damn shower."

He glared at her as she hit the handle, stopping the flow of the water. Smirking, he started to remove his pants in front of her, let the woman feel uncomfortable so she can learn her lesson, he thought. "Aye, I can do that."

When she turned around, she gasped. "Shit, no! _Not_ in front of me!"

Edward laughed as he saw her cover her eyes and slam the door behind her. Perhaps he shouldn't have done that, staying on the woman's good side was essential. Walking into the shower, he carefully lifted the handle and turned it slightly right and up. As warm water ran down his back, he felt at ease. He smiled and let the water fall onto his head. It wasn't as bad as he thought it was and perhaps Katherine wasn't trying to kill him after all. What Edward knew as he stood within the water box was that he did not want to spend two minutes or three at most in there.

* * *

Katherine scowled as she opened the fridge to get some eggs. She couldn't believe herself, she couldn't believe she let this man into her house and now she was making him breakfast. He was a stranger and a mad man but here she was making him bacon and eggs! Katherine wasn't even a fan of cooking but alas, she was already at it for her mental challenged guest. She couldn't believe he started to strip in front of her, the man clearly had no decency. _He is pretending to be a pirate_, she thought. Still though, his actions were foolish and hardly the decent thing to do.

She put some bread in the toaster, she was startled by a voice from behind her. "Lass, do you have any clothes?"

"Shit!" She whipped around to see the man quite confidently standing in front of her with a towel wrapped around his waist. Her face was starting to go red, whether it was from embarrassment or rage, she couldn't tell. "Yes. _Yes_, stay there."

She went into the guest room, a place where her older brother would crash when he was in the city so often that she attributed the room to being his. Rummaging through one of the drawers, what she found were a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, it would be loose on him but that didn't matter. He couldn't run around the city dressed in dirty assassin's robes, however expensive they must have been to buy online.

As Katherine made her way back to the kitchen, she found herself narrowing her eyes. The man put her on a guilt trip last night, he didn't seem to be hurting or sad this morning, it all must have been lies. She needed to get rid of him as soon as she could. Approaching him she extended her arm, "Here. Go to the bathroom and get changed, please."

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it here?" He smirked, Katherine had never wanted to slap a man across the face more.

"_No_." She growled, "Go to the bathroom."

He walked into the bathroom again and Katherine began pacing, _why did I offer him help? He's a lecherous mad man_. She sighed, straightening her back as she returned to the cooking. What she needed to do was establish herself as a figure that couldn't be easily dominated or manipulated and then she needed to kick him out of her house. He could find his help elsewhere, not with her. She placed two plates on the table, evenly distributing the bacon and eggs onto them and placed a piece of toast with each. _Why I am doing these things?_

When he returned, he boldly pulled out a stool and sat on it, staring at her intently. She moved the plate across the counter, putting a fork just above it. He thanked her and went right into eating, she had to watch for a moment as he wolfed down the food. She didn't take a seat, instead leaning against the other counter and eating in silence. It was uncomfortable, she didn't want to hear the stupid things he would say but sitting quietly with him was just as bad. He would occasionally look at her, making her shift under his gaze or turn around to pretend to check something on the fridge.

"So, about the Jackdaw," He began, "When and how are we going to get back to it?"

"We? No, there's no 'we' here. I said I'd help you for the night and then drop you off at a hotel. I thought maybe once you had a sleep you'd wake up and realise you're chasing fiction but clearly, I was wrong." Her words came out rudely and it was evident that the man in front of her was not happy.

"You're going back on your word?" He chuckled harshly, "I don't think you understand, lass. I _need_ to get back to my ship."

"And I don't think _you_ understand, Edward - if that's your real name. 'Your boat' doesn't exist. This little character thing you've got going on isn't real so you need to stop because frankly, I'm seconds from calling the cops or screaming so my neighbours do."

"It's a ship, not a _boat_." He spat, "And I am real, in case you haven't realised. Are you mad, woman? You're the one questioning what's in front of your own eyes and you have the audacity to question me?"

Katherine shut her mouth for a moment, letting his words sink in. He was right, in his own way. She was questioning a living man for being living and calling him mad. She lowered her voice, "Bring yourself down to my level for a second, Edward. In this world, you are not real - you are fiction. You have to understand that whatever is happening is not a daily occurrence. You are something that was fictional, someone whose life I saw unfold in front of my own eyes and now you're here. You're sitting in front of me and asking me to help you find a fictional ship. How can you not understand this? How can you keep playing along with this gimmick you have?"

Edward's face softened, he seemed to be thinking on her words as she did his. He spoke slowly, "How does something like this happen? If I'm not real then why am I here?"

Shaking her head she replied, "I don't know."

For the first time, Katherine saw something genuine in the man's eyes. It was fear riddled with confusion and pain. She actually pitied him, whatever anger she was harbouring seemed to disappearing. The notion that he was a mad-man went with it. She ought to give him the benefit of the doubt, strange things could happen, they did happen. He truly and madly believed himself to be this man, this fictional character and perhaps he was.

"Lass, look. All things aside... you have to help me. I know I can be a right prick at times but if I'm not real in this world then you have to help me get back to the one where I am." His eyes were bearing into her own, she didn't like it. He looked too hopeless for her to turn away.

She shrugged, a frown making a way onto her face, "I don't know how to."

His face fell and he nodded. "Thank you for your help then."

He pushed the plate gently away from him, rising from his seat and heading towards the door. Katherine had to shake her head to figure out what was going on. He was leaving, he was leaving her alone! Yet, it didn't feel as triumphant and liberating as she imagined. She cussed under her breath before putting her plate down and following him.

"Edward. Edward!" She watched with her hands on her hips as he fiddled with the locks, clearly failing to open them. It was odd, the locks were simple to open, he should have been out the door by now. "Edward, _stop_."

Katherine put her hand on his shoulder and he froze, dropping his hands from the locks. She quickly retracted it as he turned around, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest. "What?"

"Look, I'm just as scared and confused as you are and I don't know what to do but I know you, if you're Edward Kenway, I know you. I can try and help you get back..." Katherine didn't know what else to say.

Edward frowned, "But you don't know how to, that's the problem."

Katherine sighed, her guilt getting the best of her. "You can stay here with me, we can figure this out one day at a time and hopefully, I can get you back. "Edward stared at her blankly, "And if we fail?"

"We won't. You got here somehow… I'm sure we can figure out how to get you back."

He unfolded his arms and smiled at her although Katherine could easily see through it, the man was far from happy. She should have thought out her words properly from before, she had just dropped a bomb on him. "Thank you, Katherine. I won't burden you for long, I promise."

* * *

**A/N: Thank-you everyone for the lovely reviews. We hope you're enjoying this so far. If you have any tips or anything, please let us know what you think. Thanks for all of the support.**


	5. Chapter 5

**New York, 9th of June 2013**

The local library was quiet and dark place, especially when it rained. It was exactly the place they needed to be, secluded and somewhat comforting. Katherine scoffed as she pulled out the book she wanted, '_Lost At Sea: True Stories of Disaster by John Harris_', she doubted it would hold any answers but it was a start. There was a rumble from above them, a storm was coming. Edward sat at the table and stared at the book in front of him intently before turning a page, her lips twitched up at the sight of the man. They had been getting along decently, he was a little annoying and rude but otherwise polite most of the time. _He's like a child_, she thought, _a violent adult child._

"Anything interesting?" She arched an eyebrow as she took a seat.

"No, lass." He frowned, "They mention Thatch, Hornigold, Vane and Rackham in this but not me. It's like I wasn't even there."

She gently pried the book from his hand and frowned at the cover, '_Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate_'. It had nothing to do with what they were looking for, they needed information on people being lost at sea, disappearances or even mental health. That's what they planned on doing - finding information first and then figuring out what to do. Although, it seemed that they were truly getting nowhere.

"Edward, this isn't what we need to be looking at. I told you to find things on ship wreckages, not this." Her brow furrowed in annoyance but soon her gaze softened as she noticed the man was distressed. "I'm sorry, Edward. I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to apologise, Katherine. You've told me before about the way things are. I should have known."

She leant forward, putting her own book aside and spoke quietly, "We need to start at the beginning, Edward. Can you tell me what you think happened to get you here?"

"I've told you before, it's the same. I was on the Jackdaw tailing another ship, there was a storm coming... I made it on board alone, there was no treasure on the ship so I went back on deck. One of the soldiers, a Spaniard, he said something about 'Triángulo del Diablo'. I don't remember much after I jumped off board, not until I woke up here."

_Triángulo del Diablo_, Katherine spent a few moments thinking on the name. She had taken Spanish back in high school, some of it still stayed with her now. Triángulo meant triangle and Diablo meant devil... _Devils Triangle?_ The name sounded oddly familiar, she felt as if she had read a book about it or seen a movie that mentioned it. Then, it hit her.

"The Bermuda Triangle!" She exclaimed loudly, earning her a few glares for the other patrons in the library. Edward cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Perhaps they had a different name but Katherine did not doubt they were the same thing. She lowered her voice and snapped at him, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Edward spoke harshly, "I couldn't exactly recall on it earlier, Katherine. I was too busy learning about a new world to remember what happened in mine. Besides, your constant chatter has done me no good."

"Ungrateful prick," She said quietly, "Stay here and don't move, I think I know what to get."

She stood up and walked into a different section of the library. When she returned she brought a handful of books with her, a combination of fiction and non-fiction. She put them down on the table in front of a sullen looking Edward, pushing her chair in and taking a seat beside him. It was best they didn't yell at each other and get kicked out when they could quietly snap at each other.

Katherine slid a book in front of him and quickly took her own, they sat in a silence. From the corner of her eye she could see the man beside her staring at her and so, she huffed and turned to him. Katherine cleared her throat and moved her seat to the side slightly, their faces were a little too close for comfort. She growled, "Do I look like a book to you, Edward?"

Much to her surprise, the man quietly began to chuckle. He did not break their gaze, "Aye, you do. Much more interesting than the one on the table."

One of Katherine's eyes twitched. Flattery, she thought, and obvious flattery. Although she did not what brought such a thing on, she did not care and promptly shut him down. "Read the damn book, Edward. Flip through it if you must, just don't stare at me when you could be doing something better."

"Fine." Edward turned to the book in front of him and muttered something under his breath.

"What? I'm sorry, I missed that. What was it?"

Edward turned to her again, a smirk on his face. "Nothing at all, lass."

Katherine's eyes narrowed and she regrettably moved closer to him, "Go on, say what you need to say."

Edward laughed at her face, "Well then, Katherine. What I said was I could be doing something better with you instead of reading this damned book. I think we're both stressed-"

With a red face, due to either embarrassment or anger, Katherine stood up and firmly said a few words before walking away from Edward. "Nope, that's it. You're on your own. Find your own way back home."

Taking some of the books in her hands, Katherine went and dropped them in the returns trolley and waved at the librarian at the counter. Edward could get lost for all she cared, after all, she wasn't the type of girl that fell for the advances of men like him. He could find his own way back to damn ship and his damn world. As she went to push the door open, she felt a strong grip on her wrist and scoffed as she turned around. She didn't know why a lie slipped out of her lips but she couldn't stop once she had begun. "I have a boyfriend, you know. He wouldn't appreciate you trying to sleep with me."

"Is that so? I haven't seen him, what's he like?" Edward beamed at her

"Michael... is wonderful, he's an actor and a gentleman, unlike you." Katherine glared at him.

Edward laughed at her and pulled her closer to him, "Well, he mustn't be doing too good a job if you're spending so much time with me."

"Fuck-"

"Everything okay here?" One of the elder librarians said, her hands on her hips.

"We're fine, thank you. Can't quite get our hands of each other, actually. Apologies, we'll leave now."

Awestruck by his comment, Katherine inwardly cringed and nodded at the librarian with a quick smile. She pulled him out of the building with a tug of his arm, fuming as he laughed at her. As the cold breeze and light rain hit them, she released his arm and marched off with him following behind her, grinning like a fool. This was not happening, she couldn't believe she let him into her house - of course, he just wanted to sleep with her and leave. Katherine wanted to hit herself for letting him into her home.

"Where are you going Katherine?"

"Away from you," She turned around to face him, "You can find somewhere else to go, I'm going to get a drink."

Not caring how early in the day it was, Katherine managed to dissolve into a crowd and head to a local watering hole. She didn't quite care if Edward was left alone, he'd probably find his way back to her house and break-in or maybe he would use his eagle vision to find her. She laughed at the thought of it, he could try but he wouldn't find her, life was not a game.

* * *

Edward had to admit, he didn't imagine finding his way back to Katherine's house would be so easy and yet, there he was in front of it and picking at the lock. If she didn't want him around, she shouldn't have given him directions earlier. He laughed at the woman as the door opened, she was so easily riled up. When he entered, shutting the door behind him, he noticed that the house was silent. How long could a woman of her stature be out drinking? He had wandered for a good hour before getting to her house, surely she wasn't at a tavern still. She must have gone for a walk, she had done that the other day when he accidentally discovered where her undergarments were when he was looking for his clothes.

He figured she would be back soon as he sat on the couch. He grabbed the button device for the moving picture box, switching it on and watching various things that came on the screen. He stopped abruptly when he saw a ship on the screen, the pictures were telling a tale of a Captain Sparrow. He never knew of this Captain, he seemed the most eccentric fellow.

As time went by, Edward noted that it began to grow darker and that Katherine had yet to return. He instinctively felt worried, she was his only hope of returning back to the Jackdaw and the only person who seemed to give a damn about him in this world, no matter how angry she got with him. Edward groaned as he rose and slipped on one of the hooded garments Katherine had given him and his hidden blades. He would have to find her and he hoped his only ticket home wasn't in a ditch.

He followed the path that he took when finding his way to her house, now arriving at the spot where she had left him. From where he stood in the vicinity, there were two taverns. Edward figured he'd try his luck at the closer one to see if she was there. Taking a look in from the window, he could not see a familiar face inside but he pushed the door open and strode in just in case he missed her. Men were screaming at the moving pictures and wenches sat on their lap, some of the people were drinking things that looked far from rum in clear bottles.

_Bartenders were always good for information_, he thought as he walked over to the tattooed man behind the counter. "I'm wondering if you've seen my friend, a pretty lass - Not too tall, auburn hair, green eyes and seemingly angry with life?"

The man shrugged, "Sorry, haven't seen her."

Nodding, Edward left to try the other tavern. He could see more from the window of this one than the last, there were a few women there that had their back turned to the door. Pushing it open, he repeated his actions from last time and went to the bartender. This man was burly looking with fierce eyes and Edward found himself glaring at him as he described Katherine to him.

"Ah, the chick with the great rack?" He cackled, "How can I forget? She's in the corner there, I think."

"Thank you, mate." Edward spat and turned on his heel in the direction that the bartender had pointed to and saw her immediately. She was talking to a man who had his arm firmly around her shoulder, Edward clenched his jaw as he approached them. The man stared at her lecherously as he tried to pull her closer to him, Edward felt a pang of rage as he got closer to them.

"Katherine!"

She turned and have him a confused look, the stranger with her turned to face him as well. It didn't occur to him that this may have been the man she spoke of earlier, her partner but even if it was, he wasn't happy with the sight before him.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" Her words were slightly slurred. He had seen this before, men taking advantage of women who were in no position to make a choice in the matter. It was how he met Caroline, by saving a girl she knew from three men who wanted to do no good to her.

"I came to find you, how long have you been here?"

Katherine shook her head and turned back to the man she was speaking with. Edward, however, remained in the spot he was before, refusing to leave. It was the stranger's turn to make a comment.

"I think you should leave, man." He snarled, "The lady is with me and clearly doesn't want to be around you."

Whoever the man was, he had the audacity to place a hand on her thigh and run it up and down her leg. Edward noticed Katherine flinch and stiffen, she gave him a look, one which gave away the fact that she was uncomfortable and scared. Edward clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white.

"I said _leave_." The man stood up but Edward reeled his arm back and threw his fist in the man's face. The first punch hit his chin.

A veteran of bar fights, Edward stood up straight, his eyes building with rage as he stared at his opponent. As the man stood up, he went to punch him again, lunging forward but the man swiftly ducked underneath his blow. Katherine shrieked and drew his attention away from the man who sent a ripple of pain through his torso with a body shot. Edward did not fall, he made sure he did not fall as the man now leapt towards him. He shoved him off and threw two punches that staggered the man. He laughed at the man before him, catching his fist as it came flying towards him and responding with an uppercut. The sound of the man's teeth making contact wasn't enough as Edward grabbed him by the collar and then slammed his head onto the table where he sat. He growled as he held the man's head down, "Don't tell me what to do, mate and don't you _ever_ touch her like that again."

Katherine stared at him with a mix of fear and gratitude on her face before jumping of the seat and taking his hand. He didn't care about the people looking at him as he gripped her hand tightly and pulled her towards the door. Once they were outside, Edward wiped the blood from the side of his mouth with his free hand, still pulling the woman along behind him.

"Edward?" A small voice spoke from behind him, "Edward, your grip is really tight."

"Sorry." He muttered, loosening his grip on her hand. He was expecting her to pull away from him, to hiss and yell but instead she kept her hand in his own as she now walked beside him.

"Edward, stop." Katherine stopped and stood with her hand pulling him towards her.

He sighed and faced her, "_What_, Katherine?" His words came out harsher than he intended, he was still fuming from the fight.

Katherine, however, merely stared at him with wide eyes as she bit down on her lip. She shook her head, opening her mouth and closing it as if she couldn't find the right words. He didn't want nor did he need her to thank him, he only did what he hoped any man would. Katherine's free hand reached out towards his face, wiping away some blood near his lip.

"Not that I don't appreciate it but you didn't need to do that back there."

"Katherine-"

"Wait," She closed her eyes and shook her head. When Katherine began to laugh, he soon found himself chucking at the woman in front of him. "I'm not going to lie, I'm a little drunk but uh... thank you for what you did. I'm sorry I was such a bitch before, you just make me really angry because you're so dumb but I love that you're dumb. God, I could kiss you for what you did back there... Actually, don't listen to me, I'm dumb too. I'm drunk. I'm so drunk, take me home please, Edward."

"Alright. Come on, lass. Let's get you to bed." Edward found himself grinning at the woman beside him who walked with a slight hop in her drunken state. It was a strange sight, seeing her like this. He couldn't imagine she would be so satisfied with the situation if she was sober and was glad that she didn't seem to care much about anything. It certainly was a nice change seeing her like this but Edward knew that the spectacle before meant that things would be different between them. He was not looking forward to when she sobered up and decided to be angry at everything he did again but for the moment, he was content.

* * *

**A/N:** So sorry for the late update guys! We've currently been in the middle of a heat wave and honestly, who wants to be anywhere other than in front of an air conditioner? Nonetheless, thank you for all the lovely reviews, it's so exciting to see all the support you guys have given us and it only fuels us to write more! Let us know what you guys think of this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**New York, 10th of June 2013**

With a pounding head, a dehydrated feeling and a dryness in her throat, Katherine lay face down in her bed for a brief moment. She shouldn't have insisted on more drinks when Edward brought her home, he did advise against it but judging by her current state, she clearly had gotten her way. _At least I'm not so piss drunk that I can't remember anything_, she said to herself as she pulled the blanket over her head. Groaning and turning on her side, she noted that the curtains were still closed and for that was glad, she had always been adverse to bright light when she was hungover.

There were noises from outside her bedroom and the smell of burning. Slowly rising with her blanket wrapped around her, she stumbled out the door to investigate. She stuck her head out from around the corner, seeing Edward fiddling with things in the kitchen. As quick as a hungover person could, she pulled her head back moved herself from his view._ Shit, shit, shit, shit, I have to talk to him_. To her friends and her family, Katherine was known as a very friendly drunk, one who tended to spill her deepest darkest secrets to strangers quite happily when intoxicated. From what she remembered last night, the more she drank, the more she told him that she loved his face. She may have even gone so far as to caress his beard. Going red at the mere thought of her actions, Katherine scolded herself, _no more getting drunk around pirates_.

Summoning courage and dismissing her shame, Katherine strolled into the kitchen with a yawn. She decided upon two things in that moment - one being that she 'forgot' last night and the other being that she would try to act as she walked, casually. Edward, however, grinned wolfishly and made her feel unsettled, "Morning, lass. How's the hangover?"

"Laugh it up, pirate." She scrunched up her nose as she took a seat at the counter, "Why do I smell burning?"

"Interesting story, you see, I figured out this machine of yours. There were... some difficulties along the way but I figured it out. Very strange thing this is, I didn't think turning something would start a fire so quickly. I could have used this device in battle, it's much more useful than fire barrels."

"A _stove_ is you new weapon of choice?" Katherine's head pounded even more when she started to laugh and yet she couldn't stop, "This is gold! I love how serious you are about this."

"Ah, yes, speaking of _love_. Tell me, Kat, do you still love my face as much as you did last night?" He smirked as he passed her a plate of burnt bacon and two slices of plain bread causing her laughter to cease as stared at the meal. It struck her that Edward now had leverage over her, for all times she made fun of him, he could now make fun of her. At least she had a proper answer to why the house smelt like fire, she thought as she kept her eyes on the nearly black pieces of bacon.

"What do you mean, _'do you still love my face as much as you did last night?_', as you saw - I was hammered, I don't remember a thing from last night. Also, when did you start calling me Kat?"

Edward had been calling her Kat since last night, when she drunkenly told him to call her whatever he liked.

"Such a shame! What fun we had, we drank and shared stories, you told me you loved my face. Thank you, by the way. I believe I started calling you 'Kat' when you whispered in my ear _'to call you whatever you liked.'_"

Katherine wanted to cringe but laughter escaped her lips instead when Edward's voice changed as he mimicked her. She leant on her hand and bit down on her lip as he turned around to get something from her refrigerator, staring at him as if he was a window and she was in a classroom. Edward had protected her last night, brought her home safely and put her to sleep without any ulterior motive. Now he had even tried to make breakfast. Katherine was twenty-three years old but perhaps her inner schoolgirl, which was normally completely dormant, was getting the worst of her. She would be lying if she didn't admit to liking him just the slightest bit.

"I don't remember doing that at all." She muttered.

Too tired to say anything more, silence filled the room shortly afterwards as Edward took a seat beside her. From the corner of her eye, Katherine could see Edward smirking as he ate. Taking a daring bite from the burnt bacon, she instantly recoiled as if hit. The crunch of the food in her mouth broke the silence between the two of them and she looked at Edward with wide eyes, reluctantly swallowing down the food. He laughed at her again and as he did so, she let her gaze fall upon him. _He did have a comely face_, she thought, _one that he liked stuff with terrible food apparently_.

With his mouth full, Edward pointed at her plate. "Are you going to eat that, lass?"

Shaking her head and pushing her plate towards him, she chuckled when he grabbed it swiftly and began wolfing down the food. Odd, routine demanded that they butt heads by now but this morning had been decent, almost natural and peaceful. It wasn't long before whatever peace they had was quickly disturbed by the loud sound of her phone vibrating, making Edward jump in his seat at the sudden sound. Katherine rose and ran to her charger in the lounge room, pulling her phone off and looking at the name lighting up her screen. She huffed, James McCreary, her boss with a superiority complex was calling.

"Katherine! You haven't been answering my calls, I thought something might have happened to you. I'm glad I could get you now, we need to touch base on a few things."

"Hi, James. Yes, I am so sorry about that." She looked at Edward staring at her and put her hand up, signalling for him to stay as she lowered her voice, "Things have been _crazy_ as of lately."

"I imagine so, your article was due in a few days ago. I hadn't heard from you so I used Scott's instead. What's happening, Katherine? Things may be 'crazy' for you but it doesn't excuse laziness or slacking off."

Katherine rolled her eyes at the man's tone, finding herself getting angry with his words. She marched off to her bedroom, closing her door behind her and replied to the man. "My... boyfriend actually had a terrible accident, he was sailing with his friends during the storm and hurt himself. I've been tending to him since then, sorry that I didn't call - I was his emergency contact so I've been in and out of the hospital and looking after him."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Katherine. I really hate to be the bearer of more bad news but I can't keep someone on the payroll if they haven't been working as of recently. Unless you can get me a piece in a weeks' time, I'm afraid there will be consequences."

"Sir, I can get you a piece by then. I know I can, I promise."

He doubted her, "Are you sure, Katherine? Perhaps some time off is what you need."

"No, I can get you an article by then."

"Well, good. I would hate to see you go," _Liar_, she thought. "I'll see you at the office on Monday then."

Hitting the screen violently after she said her goodbyes, Katherine collapsed on her bed. There was no time to write an article, not with Edward around and not when they needed to solve this whole thing he brought with him. She couldn't lose her job though, not now, she needed it and the money it brought in. She had to write a new article, something that would get her enough recognition so she could quit and do what she loved in a better atmosphere. It may have been the hangover but Katherine wanted to cry, she wanted to pass all her troubles onto another person and she wanted normality.

* * *

Edward could hear the muffled words coming from Katherine's room, her house was so quite that he could even make out of her words. It was a different environment for him or at least, different from his recent lifestyle. He half expected to hear the growls of drunken men or the sining of shanties by his crew, he expected to see dancers calling out his name and his friends roaring with laughter at their table in the Old Avery Tavern. Edward had forgotten what it was like to live with a woman in a house. Of course, Katherine was different to Caroline. She was headstrong and angry but sweet and helpful at the same time. It was safe to say that the woman was an enigma, albeit a pretty one.

He could hear Katherine's voice rising and the annoyance in her tone. Quickly rising to see what was happening, he knocked at her door. There was a muffled response which he assumed was Katherine allowing him in. Edward chuckled at the woman before him, Katherine was sprawled out on her bed with her bed buried in her pillow. He stood at the end of her bed, crossing his arms and laughing at her. "Oh, no. What's happened, lass?"

"Nothing," She groaned as she got up and positioned herself at the end of her bed. She looked up at him, sitting like a child with her legs crossed. "My boss is being a prick, as usual. I had to hand in an article but since you've been here, I've been distracted. Now I have to get one in next week or else I'm fired."

His smile fell as he felt an anger rising within him, "Fired? Who is this man that means to shoot you?"

Katherine smiled sympathetically, "No, Edward. He'll take away my job and then we won't be able to eat like we do and we'll have to bathe in cold water. If I lose my job, I might even lose the house eventually. No one is going to shoot me."

Although he was glad that she would be safe, Edward felt a pang of guilt as he sat down beside her on the bed. He didn't intend on having such a profound effect on her life, he merely wanted her help and then to begone. He felt angry with himself for not realising sooner that his goals would take time to achieve, he was stuck with Katherine until then and couldn't have her being upset or not wanting to help him. A part of him even hated the thought of her living in such a state, he didn't want her to be unhappy. No, he didn't want that nor did he want to be see as a burden to her, he had to rectify everything.

"This is my fault..."

"Don't be stupid" To his surprise, Edward felt a nudge at his shoulder and turned to face Katherine with a confused look upon his face. She smiled warmly at him, "It isn't your fault. I admit to being slack and lazy, having you around has been... Interesting. Interesting _and_ distracting."

Chuckling at her response, a smile tugged at his lips. "You've been quite interesting yourself, lass."

"Me? No. I'm ordinary, you're... You're a pirate from another century, another world. You become a great man and your life, your life is quite the story. Edward, you're... something else. I've never met a person like you before, not from my world, at least and knowing what I know, I can tell you that I am not interesting. Not when I'm sitting next to you."

His face softened, "What happens in my life that makes me so interesting?"

Edward swore that he saw a flash of sadness in her eyes, a quick glimmer that revealed nothing and everything at the same time. Katherine offered him a small smile and gave his hand a squeeze, "Lots of things, Edward but I think we can talk about that another day."

When he did speak, his voice was riddled with confusion but it was softer tone, "How is it that you know everything about me and I know nothing about you?"

A soft laugh was what escaped her lips, "I don't know but I guess it's only fair that you get to find out as much as I did. What do you want to know about me?"

Edward felt the bed shift as she moved back towards the head of the bed, resting with her back against a pillow and patting the other side of the bed. In another world perhaps he would have done more than just sit beside her but the woman was a curious subject, someone who knew all about his life and was willing to share hers with him. She was the only person he knew in this world and yet he didn't know her at all. As he moved beside her, Edward sat as she did before with his legs crossed and turned to face her.

"Let's start from the beginning then, shall we? Your name would be nice, I know you can't just be Katherine."

"Of course, I'm Katherine Elizabeth Vane. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Kenway."

"Vane?" He barked with laughter, "Any relation to Charles? I don't suppose that's why you're so angry all the time?"

She hit his arm lightly and laughed, "No! At least, I don't think I'm related to him."

"Alright. Where's your family?"

"My parents don't actually live that far away, my brother is currently in Chicago though. But yeah, we're all around, New York born and raised. Love them all the death."

"No partner? What about that man of yours?" He smirked.

She grinned, "Actually, I made him up because I thought you might be some strange serial killer. I was wrong. You're not too bad."

"_Strange_?" He chuckled, "At least I'm not like the Captain Sparrow. Have you seen him? I don't know whether I want to shake his hand or smash a bottle on his head."

Katherine started laughing hysterically, "When did you see Pirates of the Caribbean? How good is it?"

"Yesterday and I'll admit, it was quite decent." He smiled at her proudly, "You know, I am a pirate of the Caribbean myself. Well, not now but I was."

For the rest of the morning and a good part of the day, the two of them sat there on the bed talking and laughing and getting to know each other better. Edward enjoyed Katherine's company, she reminded him of his home. She was angry like Vane, drunk like Rackham, wild like Thatch, wise like Hornigold and a good person like Kidd. In truth, spending time with her like this made him feel as if he hadn't fallen into another world. It made him feel like he was where he belonged and whether or not it was because of the similarities she shared with his friends or because he was starting to care for the woman, he did not know. What he did know was that he was glad that of all the people to find him, it was Katherine.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for all the lovely lovely reviews, follows and favourites - Your support is absolutely amazing! We've been absolutely terrible with replying to reviews (Level 100 Procrastinators right here) but know that we appreciate every one of them immensely! You guys are the best! x


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